Views
A speech for a sustainable future - for the Inverness Courier
On 9 May, the Queen’s Speech to Parliament outlined many long-term reforms that I, along with many Liberal Democrats, have campaigned for over many years.
Her Majesty confirmed the Government will move forward and implement the recommendations of the Independent Commission on Banking. The financial crisis underlined the need for fundamental reform of our banking sector to protect depositors and prevent the taxpayer carrying the can for the failures of global casino banks - and that is what we will deliver.
The Banking Reform Bill will give the Treasury powers to ring fence high street banks from risky investment banking operations, regulating the banks so they can no longer be in a position to hold the country to ransom when their financial gambles don’t pay off.
Business confidence will be boosted under plans to cut red tape, increase green investment and reform competition and the banks. Securing economic growth through business investment and trade is absolutely essential to recovery.
The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill aims to overhaul employment tribunals and remove unnecessary business legislation. It also strengthens shareholders power in setting boardroom pay and creates a single Competition and Markets Authority.
The Bill also confirms the Government's intention to set up the world's first green investment bank to speed up private sector investment in the green economy. With its HQ in Edinburgh, the investments made by the Green Investment Bank will help to boost a sector that is critically important to the Highlands' future.
Its mission will be to provide financial solutions to accelerate private sector investment in the green economy. The government has provided it with £3 billion to invest, so the GIB will play a vital role in addressing market failures affecting green infrastructure projects in order to stimulate private investment. It will provide support to a range of small businesses who work within the green energy and business sector.
It will also build the necessary deep expertise in financial markets and green investments, working towards a ‘double bottom line’ of both achieving significant green impact and making financial returns.
Another piece of good news for our area was the announcement that we will create a new ombudsman to protect the interests of farmers and small producers in their dealings with supermarkets.
The Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill creates an adjudicator to ensure supermarkets deal fairly with suppliers. The announcement will offer smaller firms additional protection and adjudicate on disputes with supermarkets.In the past, larger companies have been accused of abusing their strength and squeezing producers to increase their own profit margins holding too much power over smaller suppliers who have been left in positions of feeling unable to make complaints because they would risk having their contract withdrawn.
Many companies have found it very difficult to make ends meet as a result of these sharp practices. Therefore the announcement that the Government will legislate for a new watchdog to protect smaller firms and farmers in places like the Highlands is welcome news.
All in all, Liberal Democrats have well and truly stamped their mark on this year’s Queen’s speech and I look forward to working with colleagues, businesses and families around the country to implement these changes.
Raigmore Primary School leading the way in Information Technology
I was absolutely delighted to learn that pupils of Raigmore Primary School had won the Scottish prize in the Make IT Happy 2012, the technology competition run by PICTFOR (the Parliamentary ICT Forum).
I felt extremely proud to read the judges’ comments on Raigmore’s entry in which they described the submission as “outstanding”.
Pupils managed to communicate their message about living a healthy life to the rest of their school as well as their family and friends and to other schools and organisations in the wider community.
It is inspiring to see the way pupils using technology to communicate with their dads who are so far away in Afghanistan, demonstrating the wider impact that the project had on their lives.
Congratulations to all the pupils and teachers who clearly worked very hard on this project and I look forward to seeing you all next month on your visit to London for the prize giving ceremony.
Her Majesty confirmed the Government will move forward and implement the recommendations of the Independent Commission on Banking. The financial crisis underlined the need for fundamental reform of our banking sector to protect depositors and prevent the taxpayer carrying the can for the failures of global casino banks - and that is what we will deliver.
The Banking Reform Bill will give the Treasury powers to ring fence high street banks from risky investment banking operations, regulating the banks so they can no longer be in a position to hold the country to ransom when their financial gambles don’t pay off.
Business confidence will be boosted under plans to cut red tape, increase green investment and reform competition and the banks. Securing economic growth through business investment and trade is absolutely essential to recovery.
The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill aims to overhaul employment tribunals and remove unnecessary business legislation. It also strengthens shareholders power in setting boardroom pay and creates a single Competition and Markets Authority.
The Bill also confirms the Government's intention to set up the world's first green investment bank to speed up private sector investment in the green economy. With its HQ in Edinburgh, the investments made by the Green Investment Bank will help to boost a sector that is critically important to the Highlands' future.
Its mission will be to provide financial solutions to accelerate private sector investment in the green economy. The government has provided it with £3 billion to invest, so the GIB will play a vital role in addressing market failures affecting green infrastructure projects in order to stimulate private investment. It will provide support to a range of small businesses who work within the green energy and business sector.
It will also build the necessary deep expertise in financial markets and green investments, working towards a ‘double bottom line’ of both achieving significant green impact and making financial returns.
Another piece of good news for our area was the announcement that we will create a new ombudsman to protect the interests of farmers and small producers in their dealings with supermarkets.
The Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill creates an adjudicator to ensure supermarkets deal fairly with suppliers. The announcement will offer smaller firms additional protection and adjudicate on disputes with supermarkets.In the past, larger companies have been accused of abusing their strength and squeezing producers to increase their own profit margins holding too much power over smaller suppliers who have been left in positions of feeling unable to make complaints because they would risk having their contract withdrawn.
Many companies have found it very difficult to make ends meet as a result of these sharp practices. Therefore the announcement that the Government will legislate for a new watchdog to protect smaller firms and farmers in places like the Highlands is welcome news.
All in all, Liberal Democrats have well and truly stamped their mark on this year’s Queen’s speech and I look forward to working with colleagues, businesses and families around the country to implement these changes.
Raigmore Primary School leading the way in Information Technology
I was absolutely delighted to learn that pupils of Raigmore Primary School had won the Scottish prize in the Make IT Happy 2012, the technology competition run by PICTFOR (the Parliamentary ICT Forum).
I felt extremely proud to read the judges’ comments on Raigmore’s entry in which they described the submission as “outstanding”.
Pupils managed to communicate their message about living a healthy life to the rest of their school as well as their family and friends and to other schools and organisations in the wider community.
It is inspiring to see the way pupils using technology to communicate with their dads who are so far away in Afghanistan, demonstrating the wider impact that the project had on their lives.
Congratulations to all the pupils and teachers who clearly worked very hard on this project and I look forward to seeing you all next month on your visit to London for the prize giving ceremony.
Posted on: 21/05/2012
